Morning light was blocked outside by the curtains as Pei Yan lay sound asleep on the large bed, hugging her quilt.
Her phone rang three times with no answer.
Finally, on the fourth ring, she struggled to open her eyes.
After just one second, she closed them again, turning over to grope for her phone on the bedside table.
“Hello?” Pei Yan answered vaguely, her hair disheveled and eyes bleary with sleep.
“Sis Yan, are you coming to the studio today? I’ve called you three times with no answer.”
The assistant’s soft voice left Pei Yan utterly confused.
What studio?
Her mind was complete mush.
“Sis Yan? Didn’t you repeatedly remind me last night that if you weren’t at the studio by nine today, I should bombard you with calls?”
Pei Yan was like a computer with extremely slow boot-up speed, taking a long moment to process this.
She suddenly opened her eyes wide and asked, “What time is it?”
“9:15,” the assistant replied.
Pei Yan groaned, “I drank too much last night. I’ll be there at ten. Have Chen Li organize the newly arrived batch of loose stones and label them first. Also, communicate with the graphic designer – I’m not very satisfied with the webpage design proposal they provided earlier. Have her come to my office in forty minutes.”
The assistant acknowledged and hung up.
Though her head was splitting with pain, Pei Yan got up and went to the bathroom.
About half an hour later, she emerged from her shower feeling two pounds lighter.
Standing before the mirror, Pei Yan patted her face while doing her skincare routine, then applied a simple, time-saving light makeup.
Just as she was about to apply lipstick, she suddenly froze.
Was that really her in the mirror, pulling a man in for a kiss?
Her mind uncontrollably began recalling events from after Xia Tingwan was taken away by her brother.
First, she had encountered Li Yueting’s dubious friends and haughtily announced their breakup.
Then she entered a VIP room, and after that, she just kept drinking.
When she had drunk beyond reason, she pulled a stranger over and asked him if he had ever kissed anyone?
Oh, no!
Pei Yan grabbed her hair: “Did I hire a male escort last night?”
She looked utterly incredulous, and it seemed there was more to it than that.
Pei Yan subconsciously bit her lip – it seemed they really had kissed!
When he refused to kiss her, she had even cried.
Ahhhh! What was all that about?
Pei Yan swore to herself: She would never go to Moonlight again in her life.
But she couldn’t clearly remember the man’s appearance.
Pei Yan firmly believed in her heart that he must have been a male host she had hired.
After digesting this for a while, Pei Yan applied her lipstick, though her slightly flushed face betrayed her emotions.
“Don’t even need blush anymore,” Pei Yan muttered to herself.
Once ready, she had the family driver take her to the studio.
Upon arriving at her office, the employee responsible for webpage design had already been waiting for five minutes.
Pei Yan got straight to the point: “The photos taken by the photography department are fine – I personally selected them all. My standards might be a bit high, but I find the current design you’ve created somewhat uncomfortable to look at.”
“Please go on.”
Pei Yan: “First, the webpage content needs to be clear. I admit the page looks noble and elegant, but don’t forget what customers’ purpose is when they click on it.”
The designer nodded: “Okay, I understand.”
Pei Yan: “The overall theme must convey our core content through visuals and colors, especially the navigation design which must be clear. People clicking in should immediately grasp the key points, understand?”
“Understood.”
“Alright.” Pei Yan waved her hand. “Go get busy now.”
Pei Yan’s assistant He Tiantian approached again: “Sister Yan, have you eaten? Should I buy you a sandwich and brew you a cup of coffee?”
Ah, so thoughtful.
Pei Yan nodded repeatedly: “Thank you, I’m practically starving to death.”
He Tiantian really liked this approachable boss.
She wasn’t from a jewelry design background, merely a general life assistant – simply put, she attended to Pei Yan’s daily needs.
Chen Li was actually Pei Yan’s design assistant.
He Tiantian only had a bachelor’s degree and never imagined she’d accidentally become Pei Yan’s assistant.
Under her young assistant’s admiring gaze, Pei Yan plunged headfirst into her work.
With less than half a year until the SUN red carpet event, designing a complete jewelry set was somewhat rushed for her.
When celebrities attend events, besides their own jewelry, most borrow from brands.
But her reputation wasn’t substantial enough, and many people weren’t interested.
The actress Tang Xin was a newcomer who gained prominence through a fantasy drama and had extremely high popularity.
Crucially, she was good friends with Xia Tingwan.
So Tang Xin came through Xia Tingwan’s connection – otherwise, given her current popularity, her stylist could easily borrow jewelry.
Before this, Pei Yan had contacted some A-list celebrities through Li Yueting’s connections.
But no one paid her any attention, only Tang Xin was willing to wear her designed jewelry.
She truly was an unknown jewelry designer domestically, even though she had participated in competitions since childhood and won awards everywhere.
Those celebrities feared being mocked for wearing unknown jewelry, so naturally no one responded.
Pei Yan had proud ambitions and wanted to prove herself at this red carpet event.
If not this time, then next time; if not next time, then the time after that.
Of course, her situation didn’t apply to ordinary people – she could spend millions every day lying at home without going bankrupt.
The Pei family was in the jewelry business, mainly dealing in gold, with seven thousand physical stores nationwide.
Initially, her family wanted her studio to operate under Fuyao Jewelry, but Pei Yan didn’t agree.
This studio wasn’t a whim – during her studies abroad, she had achieved some small successes.
She was confident that with time, PRIYA would eventually gain recognition.
For this design, Pei Yan planned to participate throughout the entire process from design sketches to mold execution and setting.
For this purpose, she specifically watched Tang Xin’s works, along with all her interviews and variety shows.
With her little white rabbit appearance – pure, sweet, and delicate – she had many straight male fans.
But her acting skills were good, and she had strong versatility.
Last week, she met Tang Xin once through Xia Tingwan’s introduction.
Her aura was like dew, dew resembling pearls.
These eight words came to Pei Yan’s mind the first time she saw her.
Inspiration instantly surged, and Pei Yan basically determined the design materials at that moment – pearls were essential.
And the gemstone that could complement Tang Xin’s pure and gentle aura alongside pearls was undoubtedly aquamarine.
He Tiantian bought the sandwich at the fastest speed possible.
By the time Pei Yan finished eating, it was almost noon.
Well, it seemed she’d be skipping lunch.
He Tiantian stood nearby hesitating, stammering for a long time before finally saying: “Sis-Sister Yan, are you alright?”
Pei Yan was taken aback. “What could possibly be wrong with me?”
“It’s about the online rumors,” He Tiantian muttered. “Your fiancé, he…”
So that’s what this was about. Pei Yan curled her lips slightly and said, “There’s no fiancé anymore. We broke up.”
“B-Broke up?” He Tiantian’s eyes widened.
“Yes. Don’t ask about it next time, and I don’t want to talk about it either. Has there been gossip at the company? If anyone asks, just tell them the truth.”
He Tiantian nodded blankly.
Pei Yan’s phone suddenly vibrated. She opened WeChat to find a new friend request.
The verification message clearly stated: I’m Fu Huaizhou.